My Friday lab for forest ecology took place at the Hutcheson Memorial Forest. It was not the best lab I've ever had because we had to analyze three different forests and it was super time consuming. This I only minded because it was pouring rain and I got two spiderbites which I had VERY VERY painful, itchy, swelly allergic reactions to. Because I am not allergic to anything, I was pretty anxiety-ridden the whole afternoon.
About three hours after the bites, when the pain was just starting to subside, the afternoon turned magical. We stumbled upon a ginormous patch of Laetiporus sulphureus and we took almost all of it back with us in every bag and rucksack on hand.
We must have harvested a good $350+ worth of the mushrooms and I cooked them up for dinner that night with a few friends, some whole wheat pasta, and two delicious salads (one standard, one with greens, jalapeno pepper, strawberries, almonds, and mint, HOMG).
They were without a doubt the best mushrooms I've ever eaten. I came home today after a bullshit day of procrastination and an ominously confusing physics review session and found a little stash in a paper bag at the bottom of my pack.
I immediately sauted them with garlic, olive oil, and onion and baby baby I am in heaven. I am eating them with some quinoa (so the mushrooms will last longer!) and I am genuinely considering becoming a wild mushroom forager in the future. This lucky stash found on ONE single trunk could very plausibly pay the rent for a month (if I didn't live alone in Manhattan) and what a fun way to make a living.

-Camille